Sunday, Dec 17 | 8 PMET/5 PMPT

Mojo Rawley def. Zack Ryder (Kickoff Match)

Months after the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner re-formed The Hype Bros with Zack Ryder, the energetic Superstar bulldozed through his former tag team partner on the WWE Clash of Champions Kickoff. The win didn’t just validate Rawley for detonating The Hype Bros and casting his partner aside, it effectively hit the reset button on a singles career that had just begun to get rolling prior to Ryder returning from a knee injury to re-form their team.

Former tag team partners Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder clash in an ultra-personal showdown in the WWE Clash of Champions 2017 Kickoff Match.

The former partners had been trash-talking over social media in the lead-up to WWE Clash of Champions (Mojo had some harsh words in particular), and Ryder seemed appropriately riled up in the opening moments, blasting Mojo with a dropkick immediately after the opening bell. Ryder’s veteran instincts were met in kind when the young Superstar charged Long Island Iced-Z into the corner and shoulder-tackled him into the barricade on the outside.

Staring down victory, Mojo opted to play with his food, mocking Ryder’s apparent lack of “killer instinct” in what turned out to be a miscalculation, as Ryder instantly rattled Rawley’s jaw with forearms and a pair of consecutive Broski Boots. After a brief scuffle in the ropes, Rawley decided that he’d had enough, charging into The Ultimate Broski’s surgically-repaired knee and putting him down with a furious sprinting forearm to the face.

After being betrayed by Mojo Rawley, Long Island Iced-Z keeps his former Hype Bro in his crosshairs during a wild WWE Clash of Champions Kickoff.

With his former partner in his rearview, Mojo has a second chance to make good on his hype. And the SmackDown LIVE locker room can underestimate him at their own risk.

Must-See on WWE.com

Months after the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner re-formed The Hype Bros with Zack Ryder, the energetic Superstar bulldozed through his former tag team partner on the WWE Clash of Champions Kickoff. The win didn’t just validate Rawley for detonating The Hype Bros and casting his partner aside, it effectively hit the reset button on a singles career that had just begun to get rolling prior to Ryder returning from a knee injury to re-form their team.

Former tag team partners Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder clash in an ultra-personal showdown in the WWE Clash of Champions 2017 Kickoff Match.

The former partners had been trash-talking over social media in the lead-up to WWE Clash of Champions (Mojo had some harsh words in particular), and Ryder seemed appropriately riled up in the opening moments, blasting Mojo with a dropkick immediately after the opening bell. Ryder’s veteran instincts were met in kind when the young Superstar charged Long Island Iced-Z into the corner and shoulder-tackled him into the barricade on the outside.

Staring down victory, Mojo opted to play with his food, mocking Ryder’s apparent lack of “killer instinct” in what turned out to be a miscalculation, as Ryder instantly rattled Rawley’s jaw with forearms and a pair of consecutive Broski Boots. After a brief scuffle in the ropes, Rawley decided that he’d had enough, charging into The Ultimate Broski’s surgically-repaired knee and putting him down with a furious sprinting forearm to the face.

After being betrayed by Mojo Rawley, Long Island Iced-Z keeps his former Hype Bro in his crosshairs during a wild WWE Clash of Champions Kickoff.

With his former partner in his rearview, Mojo has a second chance to make good on his hype. And the SmackDown LIVE locker room can underestimate him at their own risk.